Archive for February, 2009

A Touch of Nerve-Roger Federer

{ February 3, 2009 @ 1:18 pm } · { Sampras, djokovic, federer, nadal, on and off, sports, tennis, the dividing line }
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My last post on Federer and Nadal touched quite a few nerves.Some one accused me of being biased against Roger,another stated that Nadal plays like a cow and looks like one and a lot of others merely stated well, they dont want to comment.All these guys are Federer fans believing as so many millions across the globe that their idol is perhaps the greatest of all time.Replying to those comments, yes I am biased against Federer in a way and No..Nadal does not play nor look like a cow from any visible angle .His butt picking habit not withstanding he is one of the hottest tennis stars I know. Though now of course he may come third in that current list after Djokovic and Verdasco.
The reason why I write this post is because I realised that my blog stats soared with the last one but on a more serious tone its because I felt that the last post was incomplete. main1990
so why am I biased against Federer? I started as a federer fan when the Swiss began his career,it was fine until the moment people started hailing him as better than Sampras.That for me was sacrilege.When I heard that, I wondered if it was true and even spent anxious moments . After Sampras had retired I had not seen the sport for 2 years.

Federer was lucky in the sense that he had Agassi in his twilight,Safin all imploded,Roddick not so talented and Hewitt – I am yet to figure out what happened, as his prime opponents.For all their ability these guys do not hold a candle to the kind of opponents that Sampras faced,taking into account of course that Andre was past his best when Federer began to ascend .Sampras is the greatest because he dominated with such imperial authority the most competitive era in men’s tennis.
I still wonder why the media switches its claims so easily.Agassi had called Sampras the best when he lost to him, he later bestowed it on Federer when he lost to him,the same goes for Henman and a host of others who extolled Roger and are now questioning if he will ever win Nadal again.Even Sampras when asked to name his potential successor at the time of his retirement had said it would take the game of Safin and the mental strength of hewitt to dominate as he did.He did not name Roger Federer then.
I am not trying to belittle Federer, I am a fan of the sport and any fan worth his salt will know that Federer is gifted with the most talented all court game that ever was.Better than Nadal? Definitely yes.Better than Sampras? Also a yes.I am only suggesting that he is not the best player at the moment nor is he the best in history.By player here , I mean his ability to win.Talent need not translate into success always.Ask Uncle Toni.
Nothing is wrong with Federer’s game, its the same. There is no perceptible change to it before and after the arrival of a man called Nadal.If Federer could be called GOAT then he must be now too.His game is the same.The only hitch is that Federer is all elegant and grace when he is not challenged,when he is, it falls apart.He has made the same uncharacteristic errors against not only Nadal but also against Murray and Djokovic.
He reminds me of the other supremely talented Swiss ,Martina Hingis.It was painful seeing her come apart against the powerful ground strokes of the Williams,Capritati and Davenport.Her game was Swiss perfection too except her serve that is.But elegance and talent did not withstand the power and athleticism of the Williams.
If you are to go on and call Federer GOAT then it would put us in a quandary with Nadal .What would you call this guy who so thoroughly dominates Federer?
Federer lacks perhaps the one important weapon in his arsenal-the Champion’s Mind.Genius can be outdone by hardwork and dedication.For being focused single mindedly on a goal is genius in itself.Thats why the day Federer stops thinking of everything else apart from winning Nadal, he will do it not once but quite a few times.

Luck by Chance-A Review

{ February 2, 2009 @ 1:22 pm } · { movies, review }
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5904_luckbychanceeVery few hindi movies leave me with a sense of satisfaction of having seen something nice and special.LBC is one of them because it never ventures over the top.The story subtly unravels ,never once forcing itself and Zoya delivers a better take on bollywood than Bhandarkar did.The reason I say that is because Page 3 force feeds you,LBC lets you discover on your own.The movie is languid in its pace and the story requires that partly.
The movie has well fleshed out,all too familiar characters.Dimple Kapadia’s role of a diva mom living herself again through her daughter,Isha-the daughter who is spoilt but yet retains an innocence in her,Rishi Kapoor-the over the hill producer searching for that hit again and lastly Juhi Chawla the sweet trophy wife who states facts with such naivety are all very endearing.
Zoya like her brother did in DCH has an ability to create humor in an understated manner that you hardly notice that it hits you.Like the one where we are told why becoming a hollywood hero is easier than a bollywood one,or the one where Nina,kapadia’s onscreen avatar in anger tells that the name bollywood is denigrading or even the one where Anurag kashyap states that he ripped a hollywood movie to write it as the director wanted.The entire sequence of lucky 5 for Rishi Kapoor is perhaps the most overstated of the humor.The rest leave an impresion.
The cameos are cleverly interwoven with each star sportingly playing themselves.Thus Aamir comes as the one always wanting another shot,Kareena as the tongue in cheek heroine,Abhishek as the one who loyally conveys the presence of his dad in some way everytime,Rani as the sugary sweet and ever so diplomatic star,SRK as the larger than life star willing to pout advice and finally that brings us to the one not playing himself in a way ,Hrithik Roshan.Hrithik as Zaffar Khan is very good with a sincierity that shows.He plays the great star trapped in his own image mocking SRK when he says he works for Zaffar.the part where he conveys he no longer wants to work for his mentor is very well shot and so is the scene where he shows and then subdues a sense of insecurity.
lbc1-300x199Farhan like the movie is charming in an understated way.He holds the script well and never once lets the audience sympathy slip from him.He looks cuter and fitter and one wishes to see more of him.Konkana is good as usual but she is so very getting type cast in woman of multiple layer kind of roles that one wishes to see her in lighter roles.
Zoya impresses and seems equally good and perhaps better than her brother as a director.The art direction is average though.Luck by Chance succeeds in the irony it portrays and yet never makes you feel disgusted or depressed with any aspect of the industry shown.Its one of the good hindi movies I have seen in a long time.

Rafa Roars to subdue Federer

{ February 1, 2009 @ 9:27 pm } · { Sampras, djokovic, federer, nadal, sports, tennis }
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01aust3_spanSport seldom witnesses a telling moment as the one we saw today when Federer broke down.Those tears told in short the agonizing moments of frustration,despair and then a sense of loss that this rivalry has meant for federer. They also told what we knew and some feared all along that the story of their rivalry has evolved into one of not equal strengths but one of Federer chasing and Nadal denying every time.
What probably hurt Federer the most was the fact that he was thwarted by an opponent who has stood between him and history with such stubborness and in that greatness time and again that he has been rendered helpless.Nadal was not even hundred percent fit. The last of Federer’s bastion fell today to make it official that the Swiss is now second best to Nadal on every surface and in every aspect of their rivalry.Today when Federer broke down I thought that Roger may never win Nadal if the spaniard is hundred percent fit in a match of high stakes because Federer has lost the mental battle long ago.Its easy to see why.01aust2_1901
Nadal is the nightmarish colossus on Federer’s once upon a time sweet run.I have always insisted that Federer was lucky to win so many grand slams because he lacked intense rivalry.Sampras is the greatest not because he dominated its because the who’s who he dominated.Time and again people have seen Nadal as an obstacle on Federer’s path and have continued to write how Federer has to wait a bit more to fend off this challenge.The truth is far from that.Nadal has such a deadlock on Federer that their rivalry itself is to be questioned.They play great matches yes but Federer invariably ends up losing .You dont call that rivalry exactly do you? Its not Nadal who is the fly that Federer has to swat its exactly the other way round.
Today, Djokovic,Murray,Giles all believe they can beat Roger on a given day and not without reason. If Djokovic shows half the determination that Nadal has I dont see Federer winning him at this point either.It would not be right now of all times if Federer is called arguably the GOAT, for if Federer can be called that ,then what would you call Nadal?
We are always fascinated with fairy tales perhaps the reason why we rushed headlong to call Federer GOAT and perhaps the same reason why that people are wondering if its Nadal who will beat Sampras.But GOATs are not scattered across the field in every era.Nadal and Federer are indeed tennis greats and whether Nadal will break Pete’s record is only something that time will tell when the spaniard is past 25, exactly the point of time in Federer’s career when he began to unravel.Grandslams are not easier to win when you are hitting 26 and your opponent is just out of his teens, we saw that with Sampras and are now seeing it with Federer. So,lets wait and watch.

Its not that Federer cant beat Nadal,he very well can but it has to do with accepting the fact that Nadal is the better of the two currently.When he does that then he can chase to beat him with a thirst that sportsmen often display.With Nadal you can only win if you want the slam more than him and have the ability and belief to do so.
Federer has become increasingly bitter over the last year .He has mocked his fellow players,refused to give credit, time and again praised himself for winning over players like Roddick and called himself great.This paints a picture of where Roger is right now.I would rather have federer cry,shout and show a thirst openly than do it surreptiously.This man did not begin his career as Mr.Uber Cool, he was in his earlier days a vibrant personality charged with racquet abuse.Federer will perhaps beat Nadal when he removes these false layers off him and single mindedly pursues not records but Nadal.Its not past him.
6de85113-fcf6-431e-8455-f3d2bd80bbfcnewsaporg_t350For all the accusations of Nadal being defensive , sports is not about how beautifully you play and shake your locks ,its about how well you withstand the grind to win.Its something i have learnt the hard way everytime i saw argentina lose to say,germany or Barca lose over the years.Nadal has also tremendously improved with an ability to switch to an offensive play when required. This man from Mallorca has the heart of a lion, a child and that of gold all rolled into one.He has shown a sense of determination and persistence that will rewrite those very terms’ meanings. As long as his body holds he roars and stands the best. Its a passion unmatched and thats why its time to say Vamos Rafa!